Marie Dressler

Cobourg's Sweetheart

From Cobourg to Hollywood

Affectionately known as “Queen Marie of Hollywood”, Marie Dressler was more than just a movie star. She was “a Grand Old Lady” who defied film and social conventions to become an industry pioneer. Whether she was selling war bonds, fighting for actors’ rights, or lending her operatic voice to suffrage efforts, Marie was a force to be reckoned with. She endured many hardships and setbacks before becoming one of the most beloved starts of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

This exhibition, staged in the house where Marie was born, is a testament to her impact on the entertainment industry of the early 20th century. We invite you to rediscover Marie through this vibrant of stories, films, photographs, and ephemera.

The life and accomplishments of actress Marie Dressler is one of the exhibits at the Canadian Women in Film Museum in Cobourg, ON.
"Sometimes I think I have had more trouble and more joy and more fun than any woman alive."
Marie Dressler
Marie Dressler and Norma Shearer in Let Us Be Gay (1930)
Marie Dressler and Norma Shearer in Let Us Be Gay (1930)
Marie Dressler in Oscar winning role in Min and Bill (1930) with Wallace Beery and Dorothy Jordan
Marie Dressler in Oscar winning role in Min and Bill (1930) with Wallace Beery and Dorothy Jordan
Marie Dressler and Greta Garbo in Anna Christie (1930)
Marie Dressler and Greta Garbo in Anna Christie (1930)

Filmography

Filmography courtesy of Matthew Kennedy

Silent Films
  • Tillie’s Punctured Romance (Keystone, November 14, 1914)
  • Tillie’s Tomato Surprise (Lubin, September 27, 1915)
  • Tillie’s Day Off (Marie Dressler Motion Picture Company/Mutual, 1916)
  • Tillie’s Divorce Case (Marie Dressler Motion Picture Company/Mutual, 1916)
  • Elopement (Marie Dressler Motion Picture Company/Mutual, 1916)
  • Tillie Wakes Up (Peerless/World, January 29, 1917)
  • The Scrublady (Marie Dressler Motion Picture Company/Goldwyn/World, 1917)
  • Fired (Marie Dressler Motion Picture Company/Goldwyn/World, 1917)
  • The Agonies of Agnes (Marie Dressler Motion Picture Company/World, 1917)
  • The Cross Red Nurse (Marie Dressler Motion Picture Company/World, 1917)
  • The Callahans and the Murphys (MGM, June 16, 1927)
  • The Joy Girl (Fox, September 3, 1927)
  • Breakfast at Sunrise (First National, October 23, 1927)
  • Bringing Up Father (MGM/Cosmopolitan, March 17, 1928)
  • The Patsy (MGM, April 21, 1928)\
Major Stage Appearances
  • The Robber of the Rhine (comic opera) opened NY May 28, 1892 
  • Princess Nicotine (comic opera) opened NY November 20, 1893
  • Giroflé-Girolfla (comic opera) opened NY March 30, 1894
  • Madeleine; Or, the Magic Kiss (comic opera) opened NY February 25, 1895
  • Little Robinson Crusoe (operatic burlesque) opened Chicago June 21, 1895
  • A Stag Party, or A Hero in Spite of Himself (musical travesty) opened NY December 17,1895
  • The Lady Slavey (musical) opened NY February 3, 1896; tours in 1898 and 1900
  • The Rivals (comedy) opened NY May 28, 1896
  • Tess of the Vaudevilles (burlesque/vaudeville) opened NY February 15, 1897
  • Courted into Court (musical farce) Cleveland early 1898
  • Hotel Topsy Turvey (vaudeville operetta) opened NY October 3, 1898
  • The Man in the Moon (extravaganza) opened NY April 24, 1899
  • Miss Prinnt (farce-musical-comedy) opened NY December 25, 1900
  • The King’s Carnival (burlesque review) opened NY May 13, 1901
  • The Hall of Fame (musical) opened NY February 3, 1902
  • King High Ball (comic opera) opened NY September 6, 1902
  • Sweet Kitty Swellairs (burlesque/vaudeville) opened NY March 1, 1904
  • Higgledy-Piggledy (musical) opened NY August 20, 1904
  • The College Widower (burlesque) opened NY January 5, 1905
  • Twiddle-Twaddle (revue) opened NY January 1, 1906
  • The Squaw Man’s Girl of the Golden West (burlesque) opened NY February 26, 1906
  • Oh! Mr Belasco (vaudeville) opened NY December 31, 1906
  • Vaudeville / Revue opened London, UK October 28, 1907
  • Vaudeville opened NY April 26, 1908
  • Vaudeville opened London, UK October 1908
  • Philopoena and the Collegettes (musical) opened London, UK February 27, 1909
  • The Boy and the Girl (musical) opened NY May 31,1909
  • Tillie’s Nightmare (musial) opened NY May 5, 1910; tours and revival 1919
  • Roly-Poly and Without the Law (burlesque) opened NY November 21, 1912
  • All Star Gambol (or Merry Gambol) opened NY March 10, 1913
  • A Mix Up (farce) opened NY December 28, 1914
  • The Century Girl (revue) opened NY November 6, 1916
  • Vaudeville opened NY March 31, 1919
  • Cinderella on Broadway (revue) opened NY June 24, 1920
  • The Passing Show of 1921 (revue) opened NY December 29, 1920
  • Moments from the Winter Garden (vaudeville) opened Cleveland November 1921
  • The Dancing Girl (musical) opened NY January 24, 1923
  • Old Timer’s Week (vaudeville) opened NY October 19, 1925
Sound Films
  • The Divine Lady (First National, March 22, 1929)
  • Hollywood Revue of 1929 (MGM, June 20, 1929)
  • The Vagabond Lover (RKO, December 1, 1929)
  • Dangerous Females (Paramount, 1929)
  • Chasing Rainbows (MGM, January 10, 1930)
  • Anna Christie (MGM, March 14, 1930)
  • The Girl Said No (MGM, April 4, 1930)
  • The March of Time (MGM, 1930)
  • One Romantic Night (United Artists, May 3, 1930)
  • Caught Short (MGM/Cosmopolitan, June 20, 1930)
  • Let Us Be Gay (MGM, July 11, 1930)
  • Min and Bill (MGM, November 21, 1930)
  • Reducing (MGM, January 16, 1931)
  • Politics (MGM, July 31, 1931)
  • Emma (MGM, January 2, 1932)
  • Prosperity (MGM, November 1, 1932)
  • The Christmas Party (MGM, 1932)
  • Tugboat Annie (MGM, July 28, 1933)
  • Dinner At Eight (MGM, August 23, 1933)
  • Christopher Bean (MGM, November 17, 1933)
Discography
  • “Rastus Take Me Back”, recorded December 1909
  • “I’m A-Goin’ to Change My Man”, recorded March 1910
  • “He’s My Soft-Shelled Crab on Toast”, recorded May 1910
  • “I’m Lookin’ for an Angel (Without Wings)”, Recorded June 1910
  • “Heaven Will Protect the Working Girl”, recorded September 1910